Here’s a simple solution to the annoying flickering problem that can occur in google chrome browser.

Here’s The Problem:

Quite often I find I’m browsing a web page and all of a sudden google chrome starts to flicker or flash, usually, if I mouse over the scrollbars it tends to stop, and leaves me always back at the top of the page.

I’ve seen this on multiple computers running windows 7 and windows 10, chrome all updated.

A mix of Nvidia and ATI graphics cards (rules out an old issue with Nvidia drivers)

Dual Monitors and Single monitors

Fresh install of chrome with no add-ons

Full chrome update

It was starting to drive me crazy to the point of looking at different browsers.

Until I found the Fix:

Open Google Chrome, type chrome://flags or about:flags in the address bar and press Enter.

Scroll down until you see a “Smooth Scrolling” option. It would be enabled by default in newer chrome versions.

Select the Drop down and choose Disabled, click on “Relaunch Now” button

That’s as simple as the fix is. It’ll restart the web browser and the pesky flashing issue should be gone.

There is talk that this feature may be permanently enabled in future, or at least reset with an update – however hopefully there’s a permanent fix to chrome smooth scrolling.

EDIT LATEST 2019 UPDATE

The Chrome update for some reason is incompatible with desktop background slideshows. If you have a slideshow, change it to a picture or solid color, which will likely solve the issue for now!

57 Responses to “Google Chrome Browser Flashing / Flickering FIXED!”

Thank you so much!!! I have gone through all the “fixes” that I have seen until I came upon your note about the slideshow. I did go in and reset all my Chrome settings before I turned off the slideshow. It is so nice to be able to use Chrome again.

apparently chrome is not compatable with windows slideshow – this is a very common thing for people to use (windows slideshow) so disabling it is not a real fix because i do not wish to disable my slideshow and see the same picture all day every day or have to manually change the background…

AWESOME … turn off the slideshow! … but why did it take me so many hours to find this page after trying all the other fixes !! this should be at top of google search list for this issue..
THANK YOU !!!

Flickering definitely ceased when removed slideshow. This was extremely helpful as I am not so tech savy. With that said, I think this is some sort of bug. Do you think it will be resolved or changed so I can see my slideshow again. Im really happy I can use chrome again without flickering but I really love my slideshow and want it back. Thanks.

Just realized there is a direct correlation of flickering and how often a picture changes in the slideshow. If you have your slideshow change a picture every 10 seconds (like me) the screen will flicker every 10 seconds. I have since changed it to 3 minutes. Now I can get the best of both worlds until a permanent fix arises. I get my slideshow at 3 minute intervals and can use chrome with minimal flickering. Obviously if one is more tolerant of flickering you can reduce the time between pictures, if you can’t handle the flickering increase time of pictures or use a still as mentioned before. Hope this helps.

I found a better way to stop Chrome from flashing. Well it worked for me in anycase, might work for other.
I went through and created a new selection of pics for the slide show, solved the flickering problem for me.
Give it a try, might not work for all, but wouldn’t hurt.

I tried a lot of things to fix the flickering, icluding this technique, but it keep flickering/flashing. I noticed that when that happens, my desktop pops in between those flicks/flashes. I am getting worried, because nothing I do fixes this.

I found the slideshow fix on another website, and did as instructed. It worked for a few days and then the flickering came back. Someone else suggested it was a power issue and to unplug the computer. For the moment, that seems to be helping, although I’m not clear why and it’s not a good solution for someone who uses their computer constantly. Also, I seem to have an additional problem that attends this one – when the URL bar is flickering, my cursor often jumps from the place I’m working into the URL bar. It’s not because I’m accidentally touching the mousepad. I’m using a mouse and have the mousepad turned off.